Archive from January 2015

At the start of a new year, all is still imaginable and possible
for 2015. The biggest organic wine fair in the world, Millésime
Bio, shortly takes place from the 26th to 28th January, and all of
our partner winemakers will be there. We took the opportunity to
ask them what their vision and expectations were for organic
winemaking in 2015. Here is a synopsis of their responses:

Why did you convert to being organic?

For Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard, organically
converted since 1999, and also biodynamically certified in some
of their vineyards, it's a work philosophy before anything else.
"To simply best express the quality of an exceptional terroir by
respecting our working and natural environment."

Jean-François Chapelle, owner of Domaine Chapelle, converted the entire estate of his
vineyards in 2009, and explained that "for the vines to convey
the secrets of the soil through their grapes, the winemaker must
respect life; the life of the soil and the life of the vine by
excluding chemical weed-killers and fertilisers, and the human
lives to stop the development of professional illnesses linked to
farming such as cancers, asthma, and skin diseases." Converting
to organic farming methods happened naturally at the winery in
the continuity of "the Chapelle family history of producing
terroir wines."

At Domaine Stentz-Buecher, the arrival of
Stéphane, son of the owners, to the winery in 1995 brought a
different vision of balancing work and nature. They
officially started the certification process in 2007 and received
organic status in 2010.

But watch out, ironises Ghislain d'Aboville, owner of Domaine Allegria, who started the journey to be
organically certified in 2008. "Not all winemakers are born into
a vineyard and not all of their parents reared goats in the
Larzac after 1968!" In his case, there is of course a
philosophical reason, "the book by Marie-Monique Robin, and the
film Le Monde Selon Monsato were the catalyst." But there were
also family considerations. "We're happy that our children can
gorge themselves on grapes during the harvest without worrying
about chemical treatments which we don't use."

What has changed for you since converting to organic
winemaking ?

For some, such as Eric Plumet, who together with his wife,
Marie-Pierre, own Domaine la Cabotte. They converted organically in
2002 and biodynamically in 2006, and for them the answer is "the
sense of no longer working against nature but with nature. To
respect the living and to put everything in place to enrich this
life in our soils, our vines and our wines. We've developed our
powers of observation and our ability to work naturally."

The effects are also visible in the vineyards for Domaine
Jean-Marc Brocard and "the vines have regained strength, know how
to better defend themselves against disease, and produce more
constant yields."

At Domaine Allegria, they have gone further than just the
vineyard, and introduced an organic vegetable patch in 2014 and
will add an organic chicken run in 2015.

For Domaine Stentz-Buecher : "Above and beyond respecting the
official organic charter, we are also seeking the best quality.
We voluntarily reduce the yields, are extremely selective when
sorting the grapes and vinify our wines naturally."

What are the things you are looking forward to this year
?

Our partners are awash with new projects for 2015:

The acquisition of a new plot of vines of Santenay Premier
Cru Beaurepaire for Domaine Chapelle.

Training the teams and developing the buildings at Domaine
Jean-Marc Brocard to welcome and share their vision of winemaking
with more visitors.

The start of a social responsibility certification and a new
rosé wine that will be fuller and even more seductive at Domaine
Allegria

The arrival of Etienne, the son of Marie-Pierre and Eric at
Domaine la Cabotte, who will start working with them, and a new
very old plot of Grenache vines in Châteuneuf du Pape, which are
cultivated organically and are undergoing biodynamic conversion.

What are your wishes for your winery and team in
2015?

The wishes of our partners are fairly unanimous concerning 2015,
"to go even further organically to respect the environment" at
Domaine Chapelle and to "help increase awareness of organic wine
in France and internationally" at Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard.

Domaine la Cabotte reminds us that we should indeed wish for,
"generous conditions to give us the best possible wines because
one should never forget that we can only work with that which
nature provides us weather wise."

And not forgetting the importance to our winemakers of sharing
great moments with their clients. We wish you an excellent
millésime, lots of Allegria, and to share this joy with those
around you.

The Saint Vincent tournante in Burgundy is nearly upon us
once more, and will take place on the 24th and 25th January 2015.
This year we'll be celebrating 900 years of the Cistercian monks'
presence in the Burgundy vineyards! Over the course of history,
wine and religion have often been closely linked. Did you know that
there are more than 30 Saints, other than Vincent, who watch over
the vines and the winemakers? Vernier, Martin and the others ...
who are?

Throughout the year, different Saints are called upon and feted
at critical moments in the vine's growth cycle. For example,
Saint Morand de Cluny, celebrated on the 3rd June, notably in
Burgundy, Champagne and Alsace, protects the vines from late
frosts, and helps ensure a good flowering season. It became
legend when his priory was short of wine one day for his guests,
and so he made the sign of a cross on a barrel which immediately
filled up with wine! The Saint Vincent marks the end of the
winter rest of the vines, even if nowadays, the whims of the
weather cause us to sometimes question the tradition.

The great diversity of the Patron Saints hails from the religious
traditions and books that recount the life of martyrs, where wine
is often used to signify spilt blood. But in the more down to
earth cases, the Saints can often be traced back to the origins
of winemaking in certain regions. It was Saint Martin, for
example, that is said to have introduced vines in the Loire
Valley in the 4th century, and that his donkey discovered the
benefits of pruning. At the Marmoutier Abbey near Tours, the
brave beast munched upon a few vine branches. The following
harvest, the monks noted that despite being fewer, the grapes
were much fatter, and of a much better quality on the vines that
had nourished the donkey.

Another well known figure to winemakers is Saint Vernier, the
French adaptation of the German Saint Werner. He was assassinated
in 1287 and his body found on Good Friday. He was considered a
martyr, and his cult appeared in the 16th century in Lorraine and
the Franche-Comté regions of France as part of the German Saint
Empire. In Auvergne, he is known as the Saint Verny and he was
honoured until the 19th century. But he was unable to do anything
to protect the vines from the phylloxera, and the angry
winemakers threw statues of him in the Allier forest or in the
village fountains. It's not always easy being a Saint!

In the 20th century, the Saint Vincent following has become the
most widespread. Saint Vincent, the Deacon and Bishop of
Saragossa, died under torture in 542. His story says that during
the 542 siege of Saragossa, Childebert, the King of France, and
Clotaire, the King of Soissons, were touched with pity towards
the inhabitants who had formed a procession behind the relics of
Saint Vincent. They exchanged the relics for a lifting of the
siege. The relics were moved to Paris and laid in the
Sainte-Croix-Saint-Vincent Abbey, which has now become
Saint-Germain-des-Prés, where the monks cultivated vines. And a
patron Saint is born! Since 1938, he is honoured once a year by
the knights of the Tastevin in Burgundy.

Many other traditions remain to this day. For example on the 15th
August, Assumption Day, the first fruit from the vines are
offered to the Virgin Mary. Vine, wine and the Saints are
intimately linked, but is not the only example of gastronomic
patronage. To name but a few, Saint André the Patron Saint of
fishermen and fish, Saint Antoine du Désert, the Patron of
charcuterie and pig farmers, and Saint Honoré, the Patron of
bakers, pastry cooks and confectioners.

The 22nd Millésime Bio wine fair for professionals of the wine
trade gets underway next week, gathering together 800 organic
winemakers from all around the world. During the show, the winners
of the Challenge Millésime Bio 2015 wine competition are honoured,
and this year sees two of Gourmet Odyssey's partner vineyards win
awards.

All of our partner winemakers attend the wine fair. It's one of
the annual not-to-miss events to meet professional clients, to
present new vintages, and to search for new prospective clients.
It's also the chance to catch up with fellow winemakers and to
exchange on new techniques concerning organic winemaking.

Challenge Millésime Bio is the international organic wine
competiton of the Millésime Bio wine fair, and is presided over
by a well known member of the wine trade. This year the honour
was bestowed on Toshio Matsuura, a journalist from the Japanese
wine and spirits magazine Wands, to direct the tastings.

The wine tastings took place on Tuesday 25th November 2014 at the
Mas de Saporta in Lattes, near Montpellier. The jury tasted some
1250 samples and the winners have recently been announced.

Congratulations to two of our partner winemakers who received
gold and bronze for the wines selected by Gourmet Odyssey for the
Wine Experience.

Domaine la Cabotte in the Rhone Valley was
selected for bronze for its Garance 2013 Cotes du Rhone
Villages. This is also the wine chosen for the Gourmet Odyssey
Wine Experience.

And finally, a special mention, also for Domaine la
Cabotte, for having its Garance 2012 wine picked by the
Revue du Vin de France wine magazine as one of Millésime Bio's
"revelations", and as being a wine "to buy with your eyes
closed!"

Christmas only just seems to have finished, and already it's time
to try and find another imaginative gift idea for St Valentine's day for your loved one!
But not to worry. We have a couple of great suggestions for Saint
Valentine's that will amaze and put a twinkle in the eye of your
Valentine! If you are looking for a personalised wine gift that
stands the test of time, adopt some organic vines in France.

Our Wine Experience will immerse your partner in
the life of a French organic vineyard. Through the newsletters and
photos, your other half will discover the work carried out by the
winemaker from the vine to the bottle, and follow the key stages
in making their own personalised bottles of wine.

And if your beloved is the type of person who likes to get
involved in the heart of the action, you can include a Discovery,
Harvest or Vinification Experience Day, so they can
visit their vines and participate in the work. Depending on the
type of day chosen and the time of the year, they'll prune,
de-bud or harvest the vines, or discover the fermentation,
ageing, and blending processes.

The winemaker is present at each day to explain his or her work,
to share their passion, and to present their wines for tasting
during a winemaker's meal of local produce. Each wine experience
day is valid for two people, giving a great excuse for a romantic
weekend break in France.

All of our partner wineries are organically certified, and are
selected for the quality of their wines and the enthusiasm of our
winemakers in talking about their profession. It all makes for an
unforgettable experience for any couple to get away, open a few
nice bottles of wine, and to be able to explain how the wine was
made.

A lasting and original Saint Valentine's gift for any gourmet or
wine enthusiast who is curious to learn what it takes to make a
simple bottle of wine. A wine experience that you'll remember for
a long time to come!

So another year closes and a new vintage gets under way. Whilst the
vines rest for the winter and our partner winemakers prepare for a
new campaign, we wanted to take the opportunity to wish you all the
best for 2015!

As we commented recently in our blog, 2014 was a year full of
surprises, so we wait eagerly to see what 2015 holds in store for
us.

But one thing that is certain, is that we're looking forward to
meeting up again with our clients, old and new, and sharing more
passionate and fun moments together with our winemakers.

We hope that 2015 blesses you with a great vintage , and that it
brings you all the adventures you desire.